Carrie Underwood to co-host CMA Awards with Brad Paisley again

By Christopher Rocchio, 08/26/2009

Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley have been tapped to reprise their Country Music Association Awards co-hosting duties.

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Underwood and Paisley -- who took home female and male vocalist of the year award honors at last year's ceremony -- will co-host the 43rd Annual CMA Awards ceremony when it is held live on Wednesday, November 11 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.

"We didn't know what to expect the first time. We had no idea," Underwood told The Associated Press. "Things are different from year to year, but the overall layout -- we've got it down."

The American Idol fourth-season winner has claimed three consecutive top female vocalist CMA honors and has amassed a total of five awards from the association dating back to 2006.

Despite being a veteran at receiving awards, Underwood said last year's hosting gig made performing and being honored "easier."

"If your award -- the one you really want to win -- is at the end of the show, you're going to be sitting there for two and a half hours thinking about that award," Underwood told The AP. "We had so much other stuff to do."

Paisley -- who has received a total of 11 CMA awards in his career -- praised the work Underwood did as a host at last year's ceremony.

"You can have her out there with all this class and dignity and bring someone on the way they deserve," he told The AP. "And then they can have somebody like me out there where that unfortunate performer gets gypped."

In addition, Paisley said he and Underwood should be a little more comfortable the second time around.

"We trust our instincts a little more now," Paisley told The AP. "When they ask you to host and you've never done it before, it could be really bad. We all know of situations in various awards shows where that hosting thing didn't work very well."

Nominees for the 43rd annual CMA Awards will be announced early next month.